In June 2022, an infrared camera in Taipinggou Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang captured a majestic female Siberian tiger , followed by 3 lively and cute cubs.
Based on the electronic collar around the tiger’s neck, the staff confirmed its identity. The Siberian tiger is named Lazovka and comes from Russia across the river. At the beginning of this year, a tiger mother took her three cubs across the border from the frozen river to the Taipinggou Reserve. In fact, this year is not the first time that the tiger mother has come to China. As early as years ago, she came with her cubs.
Let’s first review the Siberian tigers that have crossed the Heilongjiang River over the years.
Siberian tigers crossing the border of Heilongjiang
Taipinggou Nature Reserve is located in Luobei County, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, on the northern slope of Xiaoxing'an Mountains , separated from Russia by the Heilongjiang River. Taipinggou is one of the important corridors for the cross-border activities of Siberian tigers. In recent years, infrared cameras have captured many cross-border Siberian tigers in Russia.
014 years 0html In March , a cross-border Siberian tiger was photographed in the reserve for the first time. The Siberian tiger entered the water from the other side of the Heilongjiang River, swam across the river, and entered our country. This Siberian tiger is a male, named Kuja . When Kuja was still a weak little tiger, he was rescued by Russian rangers from the virgin forest of Far East to a rehabilitation center. After recovering from health, he was released back into the forest. He is a Russian Internet celebrity tiger. He has been photographed with Russian President Putin , and is also called "Putin Tiger".
In March 2020, another male Siberian tiger, Boris, crossed the border to the protected area with his son Thunder. Two male tigers broke through the traditional concept that two tigers cannot be tolerated in one mountain, occupying the same territory in Taiping Valley and patrolling separately.
It is still 2020. When the river freezes in winter, the tiger mother Lazovka at the beginning of the article crosses the river to the reserve with her half-year-old cub. This is the first time Tiger Mother appears in Taipinggou. That year 0html in March, the mother tiger went down to Jinsha Village, killed two dogs raised by the villagers, and took away the puppies. After eating and drinking in Taipinggou for half a year, the tiger mother returned to Russia and left her cubs alone in Taipinggou.
At the beginning of this year, the tiger mother brought three more cubs. The burden of raising 3html three cubs at the same time was very heavy. The mother tiger sneaked into nearby villages many times, killed dogs and cows, and brought them to her babies to eat.
In addition to Siberian tigers wearing collars that can confirm their identities, cameras in Taipinggou Reserve have also photographed unknown Siberian tigers many times. According to biologists' estimates, the current tiger population has reached more than 20.
Ecological Corridor of Siberian Tigers
Siberian tigers cross the border with increasing frequency, forming an important ecological corridor connecting the area between in the Russian Far East and Taipinggou. Ecological corridors refer to long and narrow vegetation strips used by wild animals. Corridors can connect isolated and scattered ecological spaces and promote the exchange of animals between two places.
From the Russian Far East to Taipinggou, and then spread to the Xiaoxinan Mountains, the formation of this ecological corridor is beneficial to the Siberian tigers in Russia and my country. Opening up the ecological corridor from the Far East to Taipinggou has three major benefits. The first is to expand the habitat of Siberian tigers, the second is to increase biodiversity , and the third is to reduce the phenomenon of inbreeding of animals.
The picture above is the distribution map of Siberian tigers. The distribution area of Siberian tigers is relatively narrow. In Russia, Siberian tigers are only distributed in the Far East.There are about 600 wild Siberian tigers in the Far East, Primorsky Territory 480 , Khabarovsk Territory 20 .
In our country, Siberian tigers are only found in Heilongjiang and Jilin. From the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, no trace of the Siberian tiger was detected in the entire Xiaoxing'an Mountains, including the Taipinggou area. Kuja is the first Siberian tiger to cross the border from Russia to Taipinggou in monitoring data.
022html In February 2022, the number of wild Siberian tigers in my country was 50. Although the population of is growing rapidly, it has not escaped the threat of inbreeding in small populations. For five consecutive years, the biology team has collected fecal samples from wild Siberian tigers, conducted genetic sequencing, and analyzed tiger parasite infections, intestinal microorganisms, etc. . Research has found that my country's wild Siberian tiger population has shown a moderate level of inbreeding. Inbreeding has led to a significant increase in the number of roundworms and pathogenic bacteria in Siberian tigers.
The entry of Russian Siberian tigers into China and interaction with Siberian tigers in my country can greatly improve the inbreeding situation of the existing population.
Is the food in Taipinggou enough for Siberian tigers?
The forest coverage rate of Taipinggou reaches 95% or more. There are a large number of nut tree species in the forest, which is an excellent food source for wild animals. A good ecological environment provides sufficient food for ungulates and bears, and also provides sufficient prey for the Siberian tigers at the top of the food chain.
The Siberian tiger has a wide diet. In addition to small snacks such as rabbits and foxes, it also likes large prey, including red deer, moose, sika deer, roe deer, wild boar, and even Bear. 015html In 2015, biologists collected fecal samples along the Sino-Russian border. After analysis, they found that the main food of Siberian tigers in winter is wild boar, sika deer and roe deer.
A few years ago, after Taipinggou Nature Reserve detected Siberian tigers crossing the border, they released a large number of live wild boars into the mountains and forests.
In early June 2022, the Nature Reserve Management Bureau released 16 sika deer into the wild at one time. These 16 sika deer were not specially given to tigers to eat. Biologists hope that the released sika deer will promote the recovery of wild populations and increase the food source of Siberian tigers in the region.
After more and more Siberian tigers enter the country from Russia and find that the territory in Taipinggou is occupied by other tigers, they will continue to move towards the Xiaoxinan Mountains, expand the migration area of Siberian tigers, and then settle further inland. For example, the tiger mother mentioned at the beginning of the article left her cubs in China 2 years ago. This time the mother tiger came with three cubs, and she may have left the cubs behind again. Let the cubs explore their living space and expand their territory. A mother tiger taking her cubs across the border is equivalent to a species migration.
Last question, will the tiger mother and three cubs encounter Wandashan No. 1 who is released into the forest?
Wandashan was released at Dongxing Forest Farm in Muling City, Heilongjiang Province. The tiger mother and cubs now live in the Taipinggou Reserve in Luobei County, Hegang City. The straight-line distance is ,400 kilometers . The Siberian tiger has a strong ability to migrate and spread. The longest recorded distance of a single Siberian tiger reaches 1,700 kilometers..
Therefore, the tiger mother and her three cubs may encounter Wandashan No. 1 .
hopes that the Siberian tiger population in my country will grow healthily and the scene of roaring tigers in the mountains and forests will once again be reproduced.
Okay, let’s stop talking about the secrets of the Siberian tiger.
follows Franceis Bacon and explains the secrets of nature to you. See you in the next issue.
Reference:
. my country's Siberian tiger population is growing rapidly, but the risk of inbreeding cannot be ignored
. Heilongjiang Taipinggou Reserve Restores Siberian Tiger Prey Population
